DANNY SHITTU believes shutting out 35-goal Robert Earnshaw is the recipe for a Queens Park Rangers victory in the Division Two play-off final.

The colossal Rangers centre-half has already kept the Bluebirds goal machine quiet once this season - in his side's 2-1 win at Ninian Park last month.

Now the man from Lagos has to do it again, this time in the Millennium Stadium where Earnie has already scored twice for Wales.

"The way to stop Earnshaw is to stay on your toes and keep him in front of you," said the 6ft 3in Nigerian international.

"Earnshaw is a very good player and I've got a very big job to do on Sunday.

"He has scored 35 goals this season and that says it all. Anything that drops in the box he will try and pick it up. He is very lively."

Because of his size Shittu towers over the 5ft 8in Earnshaw and also dwarfed the little Wales striker in performance when they last met on April 5.

Earnie, however, emphatically won their first duel last November, scoring a hat-trick in City's 4-0 win at Loftus Road.

"I was very happy Earnshaw did not score when we last played Cardiff. I tried to make my presence felt against him and it worked," said the former Charlton Athletic defender.

"Earnshaw may be a really small guy but he is a very good player and he has done well for Wales.

"He is Cardiff's main threat and if we keep him quiet then we have got a good chance of winning the final."

Shittu, who moved to Loftus Road in a &#xA3;250,000 switch from The Valley in January 2001, warned the City striker, "I will be making sure Earnshaw knows that I'm about in the final. That should affect his game.

"I am really looking forward to this match and I want to show people what I can do.

"I've got Clarke Carlisle alongside me and he is a very good defender.

"We have got to be on our toes for the entire 90 minutes if we are to keep both Earnshaw and Peter Thorne quiet."